Proraso Green versus Bigelow

[DLBconductor]

For the past month I have thoroughly enjoyed using Bigelow cream, having discovered it at Bath and Body Works. I love the ease of use and the great shaves it provides. Then this morning, I went back to the Proraso Green Soap.

I don't know what I did differently but the Proraso was better by a large margin than the Bigelow. The lather was thicker, fuller, and richer. Most of all, there was a slickness with the Proraso that allowed the razor to really glide. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the Bigelow but I "love" the Proraso. I think I will keep the Bigelow as a traveling cream and use Proraso Soap at home. I realize YMMV.

Anyone else experienced this phenomenon?

[inspiringK]

Well, you are comparing a soap to a cream, so they can yield different results. I know that there is a slight difference in the ingredients between Proraso soap and Proraso cream, so that may account for it.

That being said, the reason why I have not wanted to try Bigelow Cream is because it is missing three minor ingredients that the Proraso line still uses - so you get less for a higher price. This may account for the difference too.

Edit: Found a link with some info, these informed heretics :001_tongu (http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4780)have done a great job of listing the ingredients

[TZee]

There are differences between the various Proraso incarnations such as Omega, and I'm assuming Bigelow, even though I have never tried the latter. In the case of the Omega, the menthol was less pronounced, and the fragrance was different.

[lourendo]

are you referring to the cream...like in a can or the cream in the tube? i just got some C.O. B from BBW and i really like it. I have never had proraso but i only got the BBW product because i thought that it was the same as proraso. I am confused can you clarify this for me? thanks, Louis R

**EDIT** also, do you difference in the terms soap and cream are a result of marketing? the bigelow product is not really marketed towards classic shavers so most people, the target for this product, is not going to realize or associate a shaving soap with a shaving cream. even ask the employees for shaving soap and they are clueless like it is some bar of soap for shaving or something. i propose that the change in terminology is just to avoid confusion with potential customers.

[DLBconductor]

The Bigelow was cream in a tube. The Proraso Green was (medium hard) soap in a plastic tub. If you want, you can actually scoop out the Proraso and put it in a shaving mug. It is not like a hard soap bar but neither is it a soft soap like TOBS cream in a tub. That is why I would call it medium hard.

Thanks for all your replies.

The difference in ingredients may explain my experience.

[lourendo]

interesting. i did not realize. i might have to pick up a tub of the proraso

[GianquiMan]

The difference in ingredients may explain my experience.

I think the difference is in the form of product. You are comparing the soap with a cream. I have a tube of Proraso Cream and a tube of Bigelow cream (cause I while back I wanted to know if in fact they were different) and both creams smell/perform exactly the same to me.

[jcborr00]

I find the Bigalow to be better. Probably the best cream I have ever used.

[DLBconductor]

I find the Bigalow to be better. Probably the best cream I have ever used.

I also like the Bigelow cream but, never having tried Proraso creme, can't compare the two. Have you tried the Proraso Green soap against the Bigelow cream? That was the comparison I was making.

I think, all in all, I could happily live with Proraso Green soap, Proraso White soap, and Bigelow shaving cream. I like the scent and the price.

[DLBconductor]

Well, you are comparing a soap to a cream, so they can yield different results. I know that there is a slight difference in the ingredients between Proraso soap and Proraso cream, so that may account for it.

That being said, the reason why I have not wanted to try Bigelow Cream is because it is missing three minor ingredients that the Proraso line still uses - so you get less for a higher price. This may account for the difference too.

Edit: Found a link with some info, these informed heretics :001_tongu (http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4780)have done a great job of listing the ingredients

Thanks for the link.
The ingredients in Proraso cream, Proraso Green soap, and Bigelow cream are identical with the following exceptions:

Proraso Green Soap: Omits sodium metasyllicate

Proraso Cream: contains sodium metasyllicate

Bigelow Cream: contains sodium metasyllicate and omits Amyl Cinnamal, Eugenol, & Geraniol.

How much difference that makes? Who knows?

All three products are great.

[man00ver]

Thanks for the link.
The ingredients in Proraso cream, Proraso Green soap, and Bigelow cream are identical with the following exceptions:

Proraso Green Soap: Omits sodium metasyllicate

Proraso Cream: contains sodium metasyllicate

Bigelow Cream: contains sodium metasyllicate and omits Amyl Cinnamal, Eugenol, & Geraniol.

How much difference that makes? Who knows?

All three products are great.

The creams use sodium metasillicate to add alkalinity for improved detergent/degreasing action. The Bigelow version omits 3 fragrance agents used in the Proraso cream/soap, apparently.

[inspiringK]

The Bigelow version omits 3 fragrance agents used in the Proraso cream/soap, apparently.

I don't think that the three omitted ingredients make a noticeable difference. That being said, they are not strictly just fragrance agents. Amyl Cinnamal is a fragrance ingredient (apparently it also makes Proraso taste bad, so we don't end up eating it?), Eugenol is a fragrance but it is also a antiseptic + anesthetic (which is helpful for shaving), and Geraniol is a fragrance but it is also an antioxidant (though if you are the kind of person who cares about getting antioxidants you are usually also the type of person who avoids the parabens found in Proraso).

[DLBconductor]

One of the great things about B&B is the education one receives. Thanks for all the information.

[Go West Young Man]

AFAIK, the creams are identical, the different ingredients on the label are due to different standards for what has to listed in the US and the EU.

[jcborr00]

I also like the Bigelow cream but, never having tried Proraso creme, can't compare the two. Have you tried the Proraso Green soap against the Bigelow cream? That was the comparison I was making.

I think, all in all, I could happily live with Proraso Green soap, Proraso White soap, and Bigelow shaving cream. I like the scent and the price.

Yes I have tried both. I find the cream far better than the soap. I like how I get a perfect lather with the cream and find that I actually get a better prep. For some reason I get "zero" burn from the cream but with the soap I did. I even get less weepers when using the cream which means I am getting better coverage over my beard. It could be that my patience is tested with the soap and I am not preparinjg it correctly.